Only Fools Run
by Yami Hime Hikari
Summary: Only fools run from the past was what Usagi always believed. Later, she finds herself doing just that. After the battle with Galaxia, the Senshi all meet up again. Something goes wrong and Usagi cuts off all contact with her Senshi and fiance.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Yes, I was depressed when I wrote this. Be kind or harsh, your choice.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the other characters. Never have, never will. I don't own Mario either. All in all, I own the setting and plot, and that's it.

"_You're a fool."_

_Those are the first words he said to me after I awoke. I had come back from the dead not long before, bringing him back with me, and all he could do was call me a fool? If anything, his next words were worse._

"_I'm breaking up with you. There's another woman I like, and I can't go around saving you every other night. You expect me to stay with you after you prove yourself incompetent again and again? That's stupid. I hope the next youma gets you. Then you'll never bother me again."_

_That's seriously what he said. By accident, we had all met up in the Crown Arcade and started talking. Sure, we'd all wanted to know what happened to each other since being reborn, but I wasn't expecting that when Mamoru asked me to stay a few minutes when the others left. He hadn't said a word to me: just an exhausted nod of greeting and a hand on my arm, asking me to wait._

_My response?_

"_Na- Nani? You're really serious, Mamo-chan? But… what about ChibiUsa? And… I mean, before Galaxia, you asked me to marry you! Are you seriously taking that back?"_

_That's right, the lovely Champion of Justice just stuttered and stood there, watching her world crumble. Guess that's my punishment for letting my guard down._

_It's been nearly a month now, and I haven't seen hide or hair of the man since then. There's the usual rouge youma popping up every now and then, but he never shows at those, even if the rest of us do._

_I still have the ring. Either he didn't want it back after me sullying it with my touch, or he still loves me. After all this… I want to believe he loves me, but… I've been through too much to not face the truth._

_That's why I'm going to America tomorrow._

_I've made arrangements to live with Naru and Umino, since they moved over there a few months after graduation. They're both attending the same college, but are renting an apartment outside campus._

_The Senshi may not even realize I'm Naru's friend. We slowly drifted further and further apart as the Senshi business became more and more serious. But if no one ever remembers, all the better for me. If I never even see one of them for the rest of my life, it will still be one time too many._

_I didn't realize it then, but they teased and taunted me that day more than they ever had. Those hurtful words had all but stopped after Dead Moon, but I was in oblivion mode that day. Acing an English Final had put me back in the ditzy mode I'd abandoned shortly after my super-heroine career started. Fool that I was, I was too busy being happy that we were all together to worry about anything._

_Fool not to have seen the signs._

_Ami stayed more inside that book of hers than she did when we first met. She only ever came out to laugh when someone mocked me. She'd never laughed **at** me before. Laughed at something I **did**, yes. But at **me**…_

_Rei mocked, teased, and taunted me more than she ever did, even when we were competing for Mamoru's affection. How could I not notice how her insults suddenly reappeared, even though we seemed to be the closest of friends?_

_Minako… That self-proclaimed "Goddess of Love" **knew** what he was going to do and refused to tell me! She'd been glancing between the two of us the entire time. I didn't think anything of it, baka that I am._

_Makoto has been like a big sister to me since I met her, over five years ago now, but she stayed mostly within her own mind that day, only coming out once in a while to laugh when Rei made some comment._

_Hotaru… Somehow I can't really blame her. Senshi of Destruction that she is, she may've known that a disaster would befall me shortly, but she wouldn't know what type until right before it happened. By that point, she was in the car and halfway across town with the other Outers. But, if she did figure it out, why did she never contact me after that day? I see her during the battles, but that silent girl is one of the first to disappear, and I can't get answers out of her if I can't catch her._

_Haruka is almost a guy and could tell that Mamoru would do **something** important. That girl is more than half guy anyway, so she probably knew it was about me and was bad. And yet, I had no warning._

_Michiru has the Aqua Mirror. She can see the future, and uses it regularly for that purpose. Surely she knew our future had somehow been thrown off._

_Setsuna… Now if there's someone besides Mamoru who knew what would happen, it's her! That bitch can see the past, present, and future; guards the damn Gates of Time, and yet wouldn't give even a **hint** that the future had been so drastically changed! There's no way she **couldn't** know!_

Tsukino Usagi read over the pages in her diary with a sigh. Maybe randomly opening the book and starting to read from boredom wasn't such a good thing… She'd been trying to forget that part of her life in Japan since boarding that plane a few months ago.

"Usagi-chan!" a voice called as the blonde heard the apartment's door slam shut. Quickly hiding the diary away again, the eighteen-year-old girl headed toward the kitchen, hiding once again behind a mask of happiness.

"Right here, Naru-chan!" she chirped back in her native Japanese. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," the redhead sighed. "I have way too much homework and Umino won't be able to come home tonight. He and his lab partner need to finish a science project and need to pull an all-nighter. I will _never_ know how he got so far behind."

"Maybe we've finally infected him," Usagi suggested. "Tell you what. I'll help you with that 'mountain of homework' and then we can go to the mall. I just got my paycheck and bonus. It's almost Christmas, and I still need to get gifts. Mom and Dad and Shingo will think I forgot about them if I don't send Christmas gifts. I'm saving half the check money, though," she warned.

"Okay," Naru giggled. "Glad to see that. I remember when you used to complain about being broke so often. You can help me, and then we'll go on that 'girls night out,' deal?"

"Of course," Usagi scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Now let's see that work of yours." She reached for Naru's bag.

—————————————————————————

"All done," Naru sighed around six, leaning back in her chair.

"Yep," Usagi agreed, massaging her sore hand. She'd been writing near none-stop for the past hour. "But at least it's done."

"And correct," the redhead added. Her longtime friend made a face at her and she laughed.

"C'mon," the blonde begged, "Let's go already."

"Geez, impatient, are we?" Naru laughed. Usagi's mask must've slipped for just a moment, for the next thing she knew, her best friend had a hand on her shoulder and was gently asking something.

"What's wrong Usagi-chan? Was it something I said? I've never seen you this sad before."

"Oh, it's nothing," Usagi responded, trying to laugh it off. "I'm just tired. Stupid finals keep me up all night. I can't help worrying that I'll fail, like I did until the end of high school."

"School has never bothered you this much," Naru stated with finality. "What is it?"

So, with a sigh, Usagi explained that she'd been looking through her diary—a stupid thing to do, she said—and had come across her break up.

"Oh…" Naru exhaled. "You never mentioned it to me."

"Gomen," the Champion of Justice apologized. "But I didn't want to burden you."

"Burden me?" laughed Naru. "You've been burdening me since you got here, never really being yourself. Spill."

So Usagi explained how Chiba-baka had become her boyfriend sometime over the past four years, though neither were sure when it became official. The girl said that they'd become very close, and had no secrets. Then, completely out of the blue, he says he likes someone else, and in the same breath breaks up with her.

Naru gave a verbal whipping to the absent Chiba man, fuming even once her extensive vocabulary ran out.

"Let's get going," Usagi quickly suggested when she saw her friend working herself toward another explosion. "We can't afford to get stuck in traffic." That got Naru moving.

Unfortunately, the traffic was another matter. Six-thirty was middle of the three hour "rush hour" which stopped up all traffic. (C'mon people, I know you know what I'm talking about.) Thankfully, the mall was close enough that they got there within half an hour.

"Where d'ya wanna go first?" Naru asked her friend gingerly.

"I dunno," the doubtful girl replied looking around. "I'm not sure what exactly Shingo wants…"

"What about a new Sailor V game?" Naru questioned innocently.

Usagi winced and snapped out, "If I get one, I'll burn the thing as soon as I can lay hands on a match. V-babe's a bitch." Naru was surprised by the words, especially the last sentence.

"What about that new Mario game?" she suggested as a diversion.

"Okay," Usagi shrugged. So they went and got it.

When they were walking down the crowded hall, the Moon Princess noticed a hair-cutting place. "Hey!" she cried. "Let's go there! I've been meaning to get this thing cut for awhile!" Naru then found herself being dragged into the store and sitting in a chair, waiting while her best friend got most of her ankle-length hair cut off.

"Explain why you did this?" the redhead asked an hour later as they headed toward the food court, Usagi's hair now chin-length and framing her face.

"If I'm in a new country with a new life, I may as well have a new hairstyle," the blonde countered. "Besides, some kid's gonna get a long wig with that."

"A _really_ long one," Naru added. "Where d'ya wanna get food from?"

Usagi surveyed the crowded food court and then began dragging her roommate to her choice.

——————————————————————————

Chiba Mamoru found himself staring at staring at an old picture of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Tsukino Usagi.

Why'd he have to break up with her?

He'd still been in love; there hadn't been any other girl. So why did he have to go and speak as he had? _Such stupidity should not be tolerated by the Prince of Earth,_ he thought dimly. Why had he done something so dumb?

"Kuso, Usako," he sighed after slamming his head against his wall yet again. Soon there would definitely be a dent there, next to his nightstand, at eye level. "Why did you have to vanish? You refuse to let me track you down and apologize."

—————————————————————————

**AN:** That's it for this chapter. Ya want more, ya tell me. I see no point in posting any further chapters if I have no readers.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Okay, I've got at least one reader. Yay, that makes me happy/grins/

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sailor Moon. I bought some manga, but that doesn't give me any copyrights.

**Review Reply!  
TropicalRemix:** What _was_ Mamoru thinking? Ain't stress and life just horrible/grins/ I'm not spilling. As to her coming back… you'll see… eventually.

**CHAPTER TWO **

_I'm failing math! Ami's helping me, but I just don't get it! I tried talking to Serenity today, to see if she could help me, but something seems to be wrong. Normally, I can feel her presence, dormant or waking, and I can contact her, ask questions and such. But today… it's almost like she's not there. Sure, I felt her presence, but I couldn't reach it. What's going on? Why won't Serenity talk to me anymore?_

Yet again, Usagi had flipped through her diary after writing the newest entry. Sighing, the blonde ran her hand through the short-cropped hair and grinned as a memory hit her. Umino hadn't recognized her when he'd gotten home that afternoon, and had proceeded to stare at her until Naru snapped her fingers in front of her fiancée's face, while Usagi had been laughing so hard she'd had to grab the counter for support. Quickly she put that into her book before she forgot.

"What'cha doin' Usa-chan?" Naru asked, coming in and resting her elbows on her friend's shoulders.

"Nothing much," the blonde said quickly, forcing the words to come out normally. "Just writing."

"Diary?"

"Yep. Helps me remember." _Even though I'd rather forget a good portion,_ Usagi added mentally.

"What'cha hiding this time?" Sometimes Usagi wished her best friend wasn't always so observant when it came to secrets.

"What do you mean?" the Champion of Justice protested. "I'm not hiding anything." Naru just stared at her.

"Okay fine," Usagi admitted, squirming under the intensity of that glare. "I _am_ hiding something. But I'm not supposed to tell you. Gomen nasai. If it's still going on at Christmas, I'll tell you then, deal? I'll tell you everything."

"Okay…" agreed the redhead slowly. Usagi was _definitely_ hiding something big and neither of the friends wanted Usagi to keep carrying the burden alone. But if Usagi wanted to wait until Christmas—now only a week away—then Naru would respect that. "But promise to tell me immediately if it gets any worse?"

The blonde nodded absently. Naru could tell by the glazed look that her best friend had gone off somewhere else the moment Naru had stopped moving her lips.

With a sigh, the redhead went back to the kitchen to fix dinner.

—————————————————————————

"Mamoru-san," Motoki sighed, cleaning a dirty glass. "You are a fool. Moping around here is _not_ going to get Usagi-chan back. If you want her back so badly, go ask her family where she is. They'll tell you, and you can go hunt her down."

"I can't do that," Mamoru moaned, holding his head in his hands. "I broke up with her, and she changed overnight. The next month she vanished. Her leaving might be my fault."

"Talk to her parents and stop beating yourself up about it," the redhead suggested. "I've got to close up now, so go home."

With a sigh, Mamoru made his way back to his lonely apartment.

—————————————————————————

Tomoe Hotaru wandered the empty halls of Crossroads Junior High. Everything had been off for the past nine months, when Usagi had left.

_Why didn't I _listen_ to myself?_ The Senshi of Destruction berated herself for the umpteenth time. _I knew something was wrong, but I figured Mamoru-san could protect Usagi-chan and we'd be called if they needed help. I never figured that he could_ be_ the danger. My instincts kept saying to stay, but I didn't. Now we've lost our princess. Our Light…_

The thirteen-year-old girl finally began to head toward the front doors to go home. She'd been staying after every day so she could wander around the silent school and have some time to think without risk of interruption. Her excuse to her parents was 'afterschool help' which was true sometimes, when she _really_ needed help in a subject.

"Damnit, Usagi-chan," the girl muttered, leaving the brick building behind and rejoining the real world. "You really screwed things up over here when you left, you know that? The Inners won't talk to us and only cooperate in a fight, and even avoid _each other_. They're supposed to be best friends, but you're the one that made and kept them that way. Mamoru-san just goes college, comes home maybe every other break, works, and sits in his apartment like a zombie. Even with _us_, things are getting tense. Haruka-papa got more drunk the week we found out you left than she had ever before, in either lifetime. And she's been doing it so often now… Setsuna-mama stays at the Time Gate, even though she still has a room in our place. At least she gave a Time Key so I can visit her. Michiru-mama can only paint sad things, when she can paint at all. Why don't you come back, princess? Our lives are becoming unbearable without you."

Looking up, she realized she had made it home without noticing. A crash and shouting from inside made her wince. _This is the other reason I don't stay home,_ she realized.

Turning around, she headed toward Crown Arcade. Maybe some games could get her mind off this. So long as the Inners didn't act like the kids at school this time…

**AN:** I'm sorry, but that's it for this chapter. I'll try to get more up soon. Why'd the hit thing say over a hundred people read the first chapter, but I've only got one review? R&R people!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Yep, Chapter Three. Okay, the italics in the beginning are, as we all know, the journal entry. Any italics after the entry has ended either mean a spirit is speaking—Serenity, Mars, Mercury, Endymion, etc.—or emphasis on the italicized word. Of course, if a spirit is speaking and they're emphasizing something, the word _isn't_ italicized. That's all, so keep on reading.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, don't own Sailor Moon. Just playing around with the characters.

Review Replies! 

**earthypie06:** Yay! More reviewers! Here's the next chapter.

**MoonKitty666:** Glad you like it! Glad to have you reviewing!

**angel313:** Glad you like it and glad to have you reviewing! Here's the next chapter.

**oxostardustoxo:** Thanks for the compliment and glad to have a new reviewer! You'll see his reasons eventually.

**TropicalRemix:** Yes, Usagi moved to America. Don't worry. He'll be feeling some pain soon.

CHAPTER THREE 

"_Hello, princess."_

_Seriously, that's what the girl said. I mean, how could she think I was a princess? It was the middle of the night, we were in a back alley, and there was barely enough light to see by. But this random girl hops the brick fence and decides to help save my pathetic butt from three rapists._

_Of course, I didn't realize they were rapists until Dad made me tell him what they acted like and he started screaming about men trying to rape his daughter and how he'd kill them all. Mom got him calmed down as I scurried for the safety of my room so I could write. But, at the time, all I knew was that they wanted to hurt me._

_As she searched their unconscious bodies for something—I'll never know what—she greeted me as a princess. A PRINCESS for goodness' sakes! PRINCESS! I am not a princess! Though I wouldn't mind if I _was_ one…_

_This has been the weirdest birthday ever! Hope the rest of my year as 14 doesn't keep like this!_

"Geez, I can't believe I forgot about that," Usagi laughed quietly to herself as she flipped another page in the journal. "But I wonder who that girl was… She knew who I was before I did."

Smiling slightly, the girl recalled another time she'd wanted to be a princess, and had been referred to as one—Princess D's party. "I can't believe I thought that stuff was juice," the blonde laughed to herself. "Of course, Rei-chan wasn't too happy about having to carry me home and get up that tree." The thought of the raven-haired girls complaints about that night at the next Senshi meeting both amused and sombered the woman. It was amusing to hear the miko complaining and complaining about carrying an unconscious girl in a formal gown, but merely thinking of her former friends really put a damper on her happiness.

"What's wrong with me today?" she groaned to herself. She'd been feeling down all day, despite the festive season.

_You know perfectly well what's wrong, Usagi,_ a melodious voice scolded gently. _So you aren't going to call them?_

"No, I'm not!" the blonde snapped.

_They don't know how to find you, you know._

"Stop it, Serenity!" the Senshi of Justice fairly shouted. "I'm not going to tell them where I am, and that's final!"

_Oh? Final, is it?_ Serenity smirked.

"Yes, it is! Now drop it!"

_Only for now,_ the princess warned._ But make sure to call your parents, at least. You _know_ what will happen otherwise._

"Yes, I know," Usagi sighed.

_We've got visitors,_ the princess informed her host in a singsong voice. And I think they heard quite a lot.

Usagi's head jerked up. When she saw her roommates standing her doorway, wide-eyed, she let loose a rare oath. "Kuso, how'm I gonna explain this one?"

"Who were you talking to?" Naru asked softly. She'd always known Usagi was different and occasionally odd, but talking to thin air was definitely new.

"Um… You remember how I said I'd explain everything on Christmas?" the blonde stalled.

"Hai… This is part of it, I take it?" the redhead assumed.

"Yep. And I _promise_, you'll get the full explanation. Down to the last speck of info," promised Usagi.

"Good," replied Umino. "Now, do you happen to have, by any chance, multiple personality disorder?"

"That's a new term for it," replied the Champion of Justice evenly. "But no, I don't believe so. Don't you need to have at least two separate personalities besides your normal one to qualify for that?"

"Technically, that's true," admitted the nerd.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't qualify then," the girl responded lightly. "Naru-chan, do you need help making dinner? I promise not to set anything on fire this time."

"All right, all right. But if anything _does_ catch fire," the Osaka girl warned, "you get the couch for a month _and_ no Christmas cookies."

"I'll be extra careful then," responded Usagi as she followed her friend back to the kitchen. She'd gotten _much_ better at cooking recently, and her food actually tasted good as well as looked decent.

————————————————————————

"Oh, hello, Chiba-san!"

"Hello, Tsukino-san," Mamoru greeted Usagi's mother, praising heaven that the girl's father hadn't answered the door. "I was wondering if you knew Usagi's new telephone number and address. I lost my copy and, unfortunately, have been to busy to memorize them." He was lying, of course, but the trick worked.

"Yes, I can copy them down for you," the mother said warmly. "Why don't you come in while I do that? Shingo's playing a Sailor V game. Perhaps you'll help him?"

"I believe I can do that," the black-haired man agreed. Then he headed to the living room and Ikuko to the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Shingo was defeating another 'impossible' opponent and Mamoru was being given a slip of paper with the information in it before being shown out the door.

————————————————————————

"Thank you, God!" Mamoru murmured prayerfully as he headed back to his apartment. He'd look at the paper once he was safely inside. Should he send her a present first, or call her? Which would provide the most harmful results?

With these thoughts in mind, the Prince of Earth locked his car and headed for an elevator.

**AN:** Okay, once again, it's just after midnight when I'm posting. Be nice people, okay? Any errors feel free to point out.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Yep, Chapter Four. And so soon. Aren't I a nice person?

**Disclaimer:** Nope, don't own Sailor Moon. Just playing around with the characters. However, 'Carol' is mine, all mine, and I will hunt you down and SKIN YOU _ALIVE_ if you take her.

**Review Replies!  
****luzz:** Here's chapter four. Hope you enjoy it. 

**RyougaZell:** Hotaru'll make some more appearances, but this story (unlike all my other SM ones) is focused more around Usagi. And she's never really had a reason to distrust the man, now has she? He remained true in the Silver Millennium and there was no contoling with Dead Moon Circus, and they all died/turned on Usagi during Galaxia. Glad you're adding this to fave's.

**MunChixD:** Glad you like it. Here's the next chapter.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_Christmas sure is fun!_

_Shingo and I haven't fought once this week! Go us! Okaa-san and Jii-san haven't been fighting either, so this Christmas is EXTRA great!_

_I got a Nitendo system! Yay! Now I don't have to spend all my money at the arcade to play games! Most of them are two player games, so Shingo and I might get along more since I know we'll be playing them a lot!_

"Oh yeah, like that worked long," Usagi scoffed at her younger self's optimism. The truce between brother and sister had lasted a grand total of three weeks: until the girl brought home another failing test.

Trying to get her mind off the fact that the next morning she would be revealing what she'd spent the last five and a half years keeping secret, the Moon Princess flipped through the journal, finally landing on the entry she'd found the day before.

Re-reading it and once again having the aggravating feel that something she should know or remember was just out of her reach. She knew she knew the girl, but the identity and how stubbornly refused to reveal itself.

"Argh!" she shouted suddenly, throwing the volume of secrets at the wall where it slid down behind her presents for the others. "Why can't I remember?"

After banging her head on her knees a few times, the off-duty Champion of Justice asked her other self if she knew the woman.

_Let's see,_ Serenity mused. _I'll need to see your memories. Your journal doesn't give enough information._

"Fine," Usagi sighed, opening her memories to the princess.

A miraid of images flew past the girl's eyes for a moment as Serenity dove into the memories of her vessel. Finally, they stopped and the wanted scene replayed itself.

_Okay, randomly appearing girl,_ Serenity mused. _Too dark to make out her face, but she's wearing loose clothing and has long hair. Damn, the shadows are too dark to see the top of her head._

"Why's the top of her head important?" asked Usagi.

_I used to know a bunch of people with distinctive hairstyles, explained the princess. I mean, you started wearing your hair like me when you were little and I was your 'invisible friend,' remember?_

"Vaguely…" the blonde murmured, recalling what she could of that long-ago age when imaginary friends were okay. "Yeah… you were mostly a voice, like now, but sometimes, if no one was around, you'd show yourself to me. But you were translucent, like a ghost. One day I said… that you looked really pretty, like a princess. You said that you were one and I told you that I wanted to be a princess when I grew up, so I made Ikuko-mama put my hair up like yours. I couldn't believe it when she said that she didn't know how to make angel-princess hair." The two friends laughed over that.

"But then you went away," Usagi recalled. "Why was that?"

_Well, you weren't talking to me as much, and when you weren't I wasn't exactly awake. I was sort of… hibernating, I guess you'd call it. Waiting until I was really needed. But that's not what you were asking me earlier, _Serenity replied, recalling their attention to the memory._ I'm afraid to say that I don't know her, though her method of fighting, stance, and voice are very familiar. I'm in the same situation as you. I_ should _know her, but I don't._

"Great," sighed the vessel. "Well, since we're talking, think you could come out, be solid and help me wrap up these gifts for Naru-chan and Umino-kun? Christmas is tomorrow, you know."

_So sorry,_ smirked the princess in a slightly pompous voice._ But I'm afraid I must decline. I cannot become solid, you see. I'm a spirit, and dead. If I don't have a body, I can't help. Many apologies, Usagi._

"You're about as sorry as I was when I got my last report card," scoffed Usagi. The final report card of her senior year had revealed all A's all year.

Serenity did not answer, so the blonde started wrapping up the presents, making sure Naru's wasthefirst wrapped as the girls shared the room.

—**———————————————————————**

"You're sure you want to do this, Carol?" a young boy asked the woman beside him.

"I sort of _have_ to," the blonde retorted. "And I miss her," she added with a shrug.

"Must you wear your hair in such a style?" the boy sighed. His partner was wearing Usagi's old buns-and-pigtails hairstyle, except that her pigtails were braids that went past her knees.

"Got any other ways I can put it up?" she retorted. "I'll cut it off soon enough. Besides," she added with a wicked grin. "Didn't you say it looked nice this way?" The boy couldn't deny that he had made that statement a while back—a few hundred years ago, actually.

"Good luck, Moonlight Guardian," the boy sighed, giving his friend a quick hug before vanishing.

"Thanks, Helios," she murmured back. "I'm gonna need it."

—**———————————————————————**

Mamoru had his hand on his phone, ready to pick it up and start dialing. Unfortunately, his mind refused to give his hand the order.

_I want to hear her voice again,_ the Prince of Earth was thinking, wanting to pick up the receiver. _I want to hear her say how much she loves me._ But the voice of reason was preventing that, as it had for the past three days.

_She hasn't contacted you in nine months,_ it retorted._ Accept that she doesn't love you anymore and _move on_. Usagi wants absolutely nothing to do with you. Don't call and let her break your heart again. You know she'll do it if you call._

So Mamoru took his hand off the phone and stuck the slip of paper in his address book. "Maybe later," he sighed.

—**———————————————————————**

"I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow," Naru sighed.

"I know," Usagi agreed. The two friends were walking down the darkened street towards their apartment building. "I can't believe we didn't notice it was getting so late," she added.

"We were inside," retorted the redhead.

Suddenly a large group of people came heading towards them, obviously oblivious to anything in their path, evident by many trashcans now in the street. Usagi pulled Naru into an alley to wait until the group passed and they could be on their way.

"Well, well," a deep voice chuckled from behind them. "It isn't often that young girls such as yourselves willingly come back here. Do I get your cash straight off, or will I have to use force?" The girls were frozen, unable to see where the man was, but also unable to leave.

Then the glint of a knife revealed his presence. Naru quickly moved forward and ducked under his blade arm as it came forward. Unfortunately, she tripped over his foot and met headfirst with the brick wall, knocking herself out.

Usagi, on the other hand, waited for the man to come close, closing out emotion for the moment. If she focused of her friend, that knife could kill her.

The man, quite arrogant and overconfident, moved so that he was maybe half a step from her. Instantly, the former Champion of Justice reacted. Grabbing his knife hand, she wrestled that from him as she turned, knelt, and threw. The mugger flew through the air a grand total of three feet, to hit another brick wall.

"Naru-chan!" the girl cried, instantly rushing to her fallen friend's side. "Please wake up, please wake up," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks when Naru didn't respond.

"She just hit her head, didn't she?" a gentle voice said from behind. Usagi whirled around to find another figure, this time female, standing in the darkness.

"Who are you?" the Moon Princess demanded, automatically reverting to her native Japanese.

"Naru's in my math class," the stranger responded absently in English, kneeling down. "She should wake up soon, assuming she didn't hit that wall too hard. Want me to help you get her home?"

"What?" Usagi asked dumbly, staring at the girl's face in the lamplight. The face was heart-shaped, just as her own was, not to mention that the girl's hair was the same shade of blonde. And the style…

"Me…" the stranger pointed to herself. "Carry… her." She pointed to Naru.

"Okay," the blonde agreed. "I'll show you the way." They left the alley, leaving the unconscious mugger behind, the newcomer carrying Naru.

—**———————————————————————**

"Is she gonna be okay?" Usagi asked the girl once they put Naru down on her bed.

"She should be," the older girl responded. "Could you get me a wet washcloth? Her head's bleeding." Usagi ran off to get the washcloth as her visitor sat down.

"I can't imagine _what_ you were thinking," the girl murmured to Naru as she parted the sticky hair to find the cut. "At least this thing's tiny," she added softly, finding the small cut. Usagi chose this moment to return.

"Thanks," the girl said with a gentle smile, taking the washcloth and dabbing at the blood. "You did a good job back there," she added.

"I didn't manage to keep Naru-chan from getting hurt," Usagi retorted.

"You could barely see her, right?" the visitor replied. "You didn't know she was going to do that. There was nothing you could have done. What you did was the best you could. You got him knocked out and away from her."

"Where'd you get that hairstyle?" Usagi asked, mostly to get her mind off Naru.

"This?" the girl replied, pointing to the two buns upon her head whose tails were braided. "My… mother… wore a similar one. When I was little I wanted to be just like her, but she… wasn't pleased when I tried to copy her hairstyle. I couldn't get it cut, so I changed it to this so I wouldn't get anything broken. Good, it's stopped now," she added to herself. "I think she'll wake up soon. What should I do with this?" The girl held up the reddish washcloth.

"I can take care of it," replied the Moon Princess easily. Then she took the wet cloth and left.

"She gonna make herself sick if you don't wake up soon," the buns-and-braids girl told Naru. Then she placed a hand on the girl's scalp, near the tiny wound. A soft silver glow appeared upon her fingertips, then spread to Naru's scalp, sinking into the skin and closing up the wound, leaving only a bruise behind.

"That's better," she murmured as the light faded and she withdrew her hand.

A few minutes later, Naru made a sort of sound and started to open her eyes. The visitor started to edge toward the door, but Usagi refused to let her, saying that Naru would want to know who'd brought her back.

With a sigh, the visitor gave up and sat on the floor, waiting.

"How'd I get back here?" Naru asked after a few moments. "What—?"

"She showed up and carried you back," Usagi replied, pointing to their guest. "What's your name, anyway?" she asked.

"Carol," Naru and the buns-and-braids girl responded at the same time.

"Did you really carry me back here?" Naru marveled. Carol did not appear to be particularly strong.

"Yes," Carol sighed. "Can I go home now? Since you're okay now?"

"I think you should stay at least a little while," Usagi piped up. "After all, Naru might've still been in the alley now, with me going crazy if you hadn't shown up."

"Yeah," added Naru. "If you look at it that way, you saved my life. That means you _have_ to stay. Besides, as we all know, it's not safe out there after dark. In any case, it's almost ten. I think you should spend the night here. Umino's sleeping at a friend's house tonight, since the friend's little sister is so attached to him, and it's not like we haven't got the room." Usagi readily agreed with this statement, but Carol still had some protests.

"Tomorrow's Christmas," she objected. "It's a day to spend with your family and really close friends. I'd just be intruding."

"No you wouldn't," Usagi retorted. "Our families' are halfway across the world, and it's not like we won't be calling them. Stay." Then a sudden thought struck her. "Were you going to spend it with your family? Is that why you're objecting?"

Mutely, Carol shook her head. "My parents are dead. I couldn't spend it with them even if they _were_ alive. I just feel like an intruder here. Like I should be long gone." She was staring at the floor at she responded.

"Anybody waiting for you?" Naru asked.

Carol shook her head again. "My roommates are all visiting their families, so I'm alone."

"Well, then I don't see any reason for you not to stay," returned Usagi. "It's settled then. You're staying with us for Christmas."

With a groan, Carol gave up and caved. "Okay, I'll stay." Usagi and Naru grinned. "But I'll need pjs."

"You can use mine," offered Usagi. "We look about the same size."

"Okay," admitted Carol. "Where do I sleep?"

**AN:** That's the end of Chapter Four. Twice as long as everything but the first chapter. Yay me. Okay, it's 1:45 AM so I'm sorry if there's any errors. Please point out any you see. I'd be very grateful.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Hiya, chapter five is now here. Wow, I can't believe I'm on chapter five already; and it's only been a month. That's sorta creepy…

**Review Replies!**

**MunChixD:** Uh… you didn't read the disclaimer on the last chapter, did you? And I believe I mention that Carol's hair is the same color as Usagi's. ChibiUsa's is pink. Nice try, though. Here's your update.

**Mari:** Glad you like it. I'm making the chapters as fast as I can type.

**Sailor Dream:** Glad you like the story. Maybe I'll check out the Forum.

**Emperor Sidious:** You like Star Wars, don't you? Me too. Glad you like my story so much. The senshi will show up soon. Actually, I'd planned for them to show up last chapter, but I guess that's what I get for staring at a computer screen until 2 AM. /sighs/ Thanks for putting me on your alert and favorites lists.

**Princess Areanne: **Yes, Mamoru's being a baka. Why? Well, Usagi has this deeply hidden mean streak and… yeah. I like your mum. She's smart. Mine says that too. - /sighs/ I'm afraid I can't write if you're drooling all over the paper. I have a hard enough time getting the computer to work as is. I must say that I can do nothing about the overprotective Senshi, but maybe Saturn will leave you alone if you don't drool on my head again. Try that, 'kay/sweet smile/

**A Slayer:** Okay, that hit thing… go to your Stats page in your account. Your stories and their info will appear. The hits are clearly labeled. Yes, Haruka and Michiru _are_ fighting.

**Disclaimer:** All I own is Carol. No one and nothing else.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_Okay, I'm OFFICIALLY **INSANE**! I failed an English test with a 30, and then I come home with the cat I stepped on earlier following me, and then it starts TALKING TO ME! It told me that I'm some superhero, some "chosen warrior," and then made me shout three words. Since I was thinking, 'hey this is just a dream,' I said them._

_Bad idea._

_I turned into this superhero uniform. I had red goggles (they looked a bit like V's, actually) and a costume similar to hers. Then I found out that Naru-chan was in trouble._

_I ran over to Naru's house where her mom was turning into a monster! Then I found out that the monster wasn't her mom, and the monster made all these zombie people in the shop attack me! It was so gross!_

_Then the black cat, Luna, told me to use my tiara and I did. It acted like a boomerang and turned that icky monster into dust and then came back to my hand and I put it back on my forehead._

_The only good part was that I saw a _really_ cute guy!_

_I woke up this morning and went to school, where I heard Naru-chan talking about what happened. Between that, the brooch Luna gave me, and the fact that Luna's still around, I know that it wasn't a dream._

_But it'd be cool to be Sailor V's partner like Naru claimed I was!_

"Yep, I'm _definitely_ her partner," Usagi scoffed, shoving the journal shut and back in a drawer. "Sometimes I can't believe I ever admired that bitch."

"Nani…?" Naru yawned, sitting up. "What was that, Usagi-chan?"

"Nothing," the blonde was quick to claim while thinking, _Baka, should've been quieter, shouldn't of opened it today, now she'll make me spill._

"Do you want to wait to tell your secret until Umino-kun gets home, or are you going to tell us separately?" the redhead asked, already fully awake.

"Let's start breakfast and I'll show you then," the Moon Princess suggested. "I wouldn't _show_ Umino this unless my life was threatened."

Still chattering, the roommates left their room and began to prepare pancakes. Usagi was quite good at them, now that she'd had plenty of practice.

* * *

Carol awoke to sound of chattering voices, one near shrieking level. 

"What in the name of Selene is going on?" she demanded, coming out of Umino's room to where the kitchen and living room were.

"Usagi-chan said she's _Sailor Moon_!" Naru shouted.

"Naru-chan," Usagi begged. "_Please_, be _quiet_. Besides, I said I would show you."

"If all this commotion is about one, little, stupid transformation," Carol announced grumpily, "then I'm going back to bed. Wake me up at a _decent_ hour."

Naru and Usagi stared at the back of the retreating girl for a moment, and Usagi automatically whispered the words she'd been preparing to say when Carol walked in.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Make Up." An explosion of white, rose, and pink light filled the room for an instant as Usagi transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon.

The Senshi stared at the visitor, which wasn't that odd, considering that the retreating girl's body had also reacted to the transformation words.

Carol was now dressed in an elaborate white dress with red streaks from the waist to the hem. The gown was the same style as Princess Serenity's, her hair was back in her usual style, and Carol seemed so… regal.

Then the buns-and-braids girl crawled back into bed and the illusion vanished, the gown exchanged for the flannel pajamas, and the hair went back down.

The girls quickly followed her and saw upon her forehead a quickly fading crescent moon.

"This is _fucking nuts_," Sailor Moon whispered. "What is Carol doing with _that_ sigil?"

"Usagi-chan…" Naru asked, slowly and in shock. "You're _Sailor Moon_."

"Isn't that what I told you?" the Champion of Justice replied. "Didn't you know a while back?"

"When?"

"When there was that great big black thing in the center of town," Usagi explained.

"I…" Naru stammered. "I _thought_ you were her, but I wasn't sure. After a while, I just… ignored it and forgot. If you were Sailor Moon, you'd tell me."

"Gomen ne," the Senshi apologized. "But I couldn't. It would put you in more danger. Not that you weren't in any to begin with," she added, remembering all the times Beryl's minions had attacked Naru. Then when you added the rouge monster attacks… Well.

—**———————————————————————**

"Konnichiwa, Mamoru-san," Hino Rei said uncomfortably. It was Christmas Day and the two had accidentally met up at the arcade. To avoid making a scene, or making Motoki suspicious since he knew that they knew each other well, they had to make small talk. That didn't mean they had to go beyond simply being civil.

"Konnichiwa," the dark-haired man replied, inclining his head slightly. Rei couldn't stop a blush. _I thought I stopped,_ she thought furiously. _We broke up years ago, before Usagi showed up. Why am I acting like this_ now?

Mamoru noticed the blush. "Do you still _like_ me, Rei-chan?"

"Hai…" the girl stammered out. "I thought I didn't, but… Oh, that came out wrong!"

"Rei-chan," Mamoru laughed. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

"Stop joking," the miko ordered. When the Prince of Earth protested that he was being serious, Rei accepted.

"But for a price," she warned. "Senshi business is never mentioned. We become a simple, normal couple. No Senshi stuff, or mentioning Usagi. After all, she out of the blue decided to vanish. Deal?"

"Deal," Mamoru agreed. Rei instantly tackled him and gave him a quick hug.

Then the clock chimed five and she left Crown Arcade, in a hurry to get home.

—**———————————————————————**

"Ami!"

"Yes, what is it, Mother?" the girl genius asked, coming out into the kitchen where her mother was.

"I'm sorry darling, but I've got to get back to the hospital. Something's going on," Mrs. Mizuno apologized. "I know you're studying hard for that English test you have in a few days, but make sure to eat something and get to bed at a reasonable hour, all right? You've been up so late recently… It's starting to affect your health."

"I'll make sure to remember," the pale girl replied with a smile and a hug. "You be careful too. I don't want you overworking yourself. There's a vacation coming up; maybe you could take one too and we could go somewhere."

"I will definitely consider it," the woman laughed as she headed for the front door. "But until then, I have to keep working and _you_ have to mend things up with your friends. Don't do what I did."

_She really noticed?_ Ami thought to herself in shock. _I mean, I _know_ it's been a long time since I talked to them, and we don't have our study groups anymore, but Mom's not home that much. Are things_ really _that bad between the nine of us?_

"Kuso, Usagi-chan, get back here and help us fix this stupid mess," she sighed as she picked up her English book and notes again.

The Mercury pen lay untouched on the corner of her desk, as it had for the last nine months.

—**———————————————————————**

"Artemis, what's wrong with Luna?"

"I'm not sure, Mina-chan," the white cat admitted to his partner. "She's been down really lately… Nothing I do cheers her up."

"What if she went back to the Tsukinos?" the blonde suggested. "She'd get more attention there."

"But Usagi-chan isn't there anymore," Artemis reminded her. "That might make it worse."

"Well, we'll think of something to make her smile," Minako said determidely. Her strong exterior dropped as she went to take a bath and unwind. _I can't become Sailor Venus anymore…_ she thought in worry and fear._ What if another youma comes? I'm dead. Why can't I transform?_

Then her crescent moon compact caught her eye._ Maybe if I can't become Sailor Venus, I can still become Sailor V…_

**AN:** Sorry, that's it. What do you think? The henshin pens… do the girls still have and use those during Stars? I know they don't in the manga, but what about in the anime?


	6. Chapter 6

**Review Replies!**  
**Stoic-Girl-of-Anime-Fantasy:** Thanks for the compliment. Here's the next chapter.

**RyougaZell:** Yes, Carol is part of the Silver Millennium. /grins/ I love playing with the past. She had a crescent moon sigil, like Usagi and ChibiUsa. Sorry, she's still Sailor Moon. Remember, in Crystal Tokyo, she's lost most of her power as a Senshi. Meaning, she can't transform. In my mind, combined with the manga scene with Cosmos, that means Usagi won't be Sailor Cosmos until the time when Crystal Tokyo begins to fall. Right now, it hasn't even been created.

**Taeniaea:** Well, it's been nearly three months. /nervous chuckle/ That doesn't count as 'soon,' does it? In any case, here's the next one.

**Princess Areanne:** Yay, no more drooling. /grins/ There's enough rain coming down where I am right now, anyway. Take that cooking pan away from Saturn before she breaks something! Yes, Rei and Mamoru are bitches and their offspring. That part actually wrote itself. I wasn't originally planning on getting them together. Thanks for all the info.

Disclaimer: I own only Carol. No one and nothing else. Nobody sue; I'm broke.

**CHAPTER SIX**

_Eight dollars and thirty-six cents. Which equals about 953 yen. Not that much money._

_My life sucks. I'm not going to be able to get anything for Naru and Umino _and_ my family with this little money. Well, one upside to just having a job and not going to school right now is that I've got some semblance of free time. I don't have a driver's license yet, so I guess I'll just have to make Umino and Naru a joint gift. Or maybe I can get Naru to help me out with buying my family stuff…_

…

_Damn. I just checked the calendar. Payday isn't until a couple days before Christmas. The last day before my holiday break, actually. Why my boss decided to give me off three days before Christmas, Christmas Day, and the week afterwards, I have no idea. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna question it._

Usagi smiled to herself as she read over the journal entry that she'd written barely two weeks ago. Thankfully, Naru had helped out with the money situation, though she and Umino hadn't opened their joint gift yet, since the boy wasn't home. There was a sort of tradition that gifts weren't opened unless everyone was home, even though the apartment had only actually been rented for little under a year.

The sound of fluent cursing pulled her from her musings and the blonde headed for the door. Who was that? It didn't sound like Naru and Umino didn't curse. Could it be Carol?

Usagi made it to her bedroom door and looked out at the living room. What she saw there was so startling that she couldn't speak for a minute.

"Umino-kun… where are your clothes?"

* * *

Ami was getting worried. 

Her mother was supposed to be home more than two hours ago. Even if something at the hospital had kept her, she would have at least called Ami so her daughter wouldn't worry.

The teenager's stomach growled and she ignored it. She would eat when she knew what was going on with her mother, and when the fear went away. Not before. That would just court disaster.

"Okaasan," she groaned. "Where _are_ you?"

Ignoring the impulse to grab her old henshin pen, the girl forced herself to sit back down at her computer and work on that essay on the disadvantages of modern medicine. The issues that first came to mind were all useless and not backed up by any written documents. All came from personal experiences, most from youma battles. That did not count as appropriate reference material for a graded essay to be given to a professor.

"Damn it," she muttered a few minutes later, laying her head in her hands, resisting the urge to bang her skull into something hard, preferably her computer screen or the wall. "Come on, Mizuno. Calm down. Kaasan is _fine_. She's probably just busy and hasn't gotten a chance to call yet. Besides, that pen is just a _pen_ now. I don't need it to transform. It just has sentimental value right now, nothing important."

_But if those words are all true,_ she wondered suddenly, _then why do I feel like I need it in my hands? Why do I feel so afraid?_

Then she felt cool metal pressing against the palm of her hand, and the familiar pain of her nails digging into the flesh of her right hand.

While she had been attempting to convince herself that everything was fine, one hand had stopped supporting her head and grabbed her Mercury pen off the corner of her desk where she had thrown it nine months before. The other hand had moved to support her head better, and she hadn't noticed at all. Dimly, the rational part of her mind said there was something wrong with that, but the rest of her mind wasn't listening.

Two things had captured her attention.

The Mercury pen was glowing—almost blindingly—with the pale blue light of its planet's power.

The temperature in the room had plummeted so much that Ami could see her breath and ice—not frost, but _ice_—had taken over the inside of the window and reaching out for more to freeze, where it _really_ didn't belong.

* * *

The roaring of a fire out of control. 

The terrified screams of the raven-haired miko as the Sacred Fire of the Shrine burst out of its fireplace, harming nothing as it reached for its priestess.

_Fool, idiot, coward, and a _traitor_, of all things!_ it seemed to hiss at her as it reached for her.

"I betrayed no one," Rei panted as she scrambled for the door. "I am not a traitor."

_Then explain why you refuse to bear your mantle of a Senshi, _the flames hissed._ Explain _that_ if you are no traitor._

"There have been no youma," the raven-haired woman gasped. "There's been no reason. No fight."

_You used to transform merely for the joy of doing so,_ the fire told her. _For the freedom it gave you. Your powers were no burden. Your mantle was no burden. It was your joy in life. You _loved_ it. Why do you now forsake it?_

"Because I have lost the one I was supposed to love and protect above all else," Rei whispered, warm tears sliding down her cheeks as she leaned against the sliding door. No longer did she have the desire or will to leave the room. Shockingly, though the fire was millimeters from her face, it did not evaporate the salt water. "I helped push Serenity and Usagi away. I gave into selfishness and pushed my princess away. I no longer bear the right to call myself a Senshi, or to use such powers."

The Sacred Fire calmed and shrank from an angry roar to a gentle crackling.

_Child of Mars,_ it sighed, changing from a fear-inducing presence to a comforting one._ As long as you or your princess lives, you have the right to drape the mantle of the Senshi of War and Fire around yourself. You took vows, ever so long ago, to love and protect your princess above all else. You are dishonoring those vows, child. You are dishonoring yourself and your precious princess. True, you have made a great mistake. Now _mend_ it._

"You are right," Rei whispered, sliding down the door into a seated position at the bottom. "You are more than right, Sacred Fire. I apologize for disobeying for so long of a time. I will have to apologize to Serenity and Usagi-chan when I find her."

_Now where did I put that old Mars henshin pen? _she wondered._ I know I don't _need_ it to transform but…_

* * *

"Kuso," Makoto panted. "_Kuso!_" 

"Kino!" an angry voice shouted. "That's the third this month!"

"Gomen ne!" she called back to the man in his office. "I'll pay for it!"

"Make sure you get something stronger to fasten it!" he shouted.

"Bakaryou," she hissed to herself. "_Fool._ You know your strength. Don't use so much on something inanimate. Haven't you gotten it _yet?_ You break things."

Deciding that she'd just get herself in even more trouble if she stayed, the brunette headed for the women's locker rooms to change and head home.

In her locker, atop her sweater, a pen began to pulsate with a greenish light.

* * *

Artemis was staring at his Senshi's two transformation items. The first was the Venus henshin pen, glowing with a blinding golden light, almost like a miniature sun. The second was her disguise brooch, also pulsing with golden light, though it was a dying ember compared to the henshin pen. 

"Thank the gods that Mina-chan's not here," he murmured to himself. If that girl knew what her magical items were doing…

"Artemis?" a soft voice queried from just behind him. "Why are they glowing like that?"

"I don't know, Luna," he whispered, turning around to look at the black cat lying on Minako's pillow. "Really."

"And you want to let Minako find out on her own," Luna sighed as her soul-mate came over and nuzzled her, trying to get the black cat to cheer up.

"They'll be _fine_," he murmured. "Usagi made it on her own for a while, didn't she?"

"Not long," Luna retorted. "And Tuxedo Kamen helped her out until we awakened Mercury."

"But if Usagi can make it on her own, in something that she was extremely unprepared for, against a demon who looked like her best friend's mother and a bunch of zombie-like civilians, then that girl can make it in normal life."

"I suppose," Luna agreed, laying her head on Artemis' back as he lay down next to her. "But… I still don't see why she couldn't tell any of us. Why did she leave us behind? Why couldn't I _help_ her?"

Luna of the Mau began to cry, her tears soaking her lover's fur.

Murmuring reassurance and comfort, Artemis transformed to human, pulling Luna through the transformation so he could hold her close. The black-haired woman allowed this to happen, and Artemis held her in his tight embrace as he comforted his wife of several centuries.

* * *

**AN:** Yep, kinda short. Hey, I hit all the Inners, didn't I? More or less… Venus' items made an appearance even if she didn't… /nervous chuckle/ What do you all think? Does this make up for such a long wait? Am I getting anything wrong? Any and all Sailor V lovers, I'm gonna need your help with some things, for I have no access whatsoever to that series! And anyone who puts their email in their review, I _swear_ I'll contact you… when the internet decides to let me on. /sweatdrop/ Oh, and 'bakaryou' (if I spelled it right) is like a much worse verison of 'baka.' 


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** GOMEN NASAI! I took forever to write this, and all you were waiting so patiently!

**Review Replies!**

**AngelWings86: **Yay! I like having Usagi in a strong role. I just can't have her as a weakling or completely dependant on the others.

**RyougaZell:** Well, the email's not in the review, but you're signed in, so I can get it from your profile. /checks profile/ …Or not. It's not there, or in your review.

**Princess Areanne:** Thanks. Glad you like it. With the pens… you'll find out.

**A Slayer:** Yes, I feel sorry for Luna too. Didn't even get a warning… /laughs/ I had the exact same feeling until I wrote this chapter. Did I update soon enough?

**Eternal Lady:** Glad you love it so much! How forgiving do _you_ think Usagi should be? His name is spelled Mamoru. You just messed up the u and the r. That's better than I did when I first found out his Japanese name. Which is why he's "Darien" /shudders/ in my "Guardians" trilogy. (It's another 3 of my SM fics.) So you understand the Serenity and Usagi conversations?

**Killara:** Yay! Compliments! Um… the website didn't show up in the review… Maybe you could email it to me? My email's in my profile.

**Sleepy26:** Thanks for the compliment! Yep, they're now feeling the pain. Got any ideas how to increase it?

**Disclaimer:** Carol is mine. I own _nothing and no one else_.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

_"I'm worried that Umino doesn't love me anymore," Naru confessed to me. "He's been so distant lately. And he doesn't really pay attention in class. It's like he's not even there, really."_

Part of a journal entry she'd re-read that morning flashed through the Moon Princess's head. She was starting to wonder if this fear from the year before was not unfounded.

The evidence was certainly incriminating, considering that Umino was standing out in his boxers in the middle of the apartment, even though it was the middle of winter.

"Umino-kun… what in the—?"

"USAGI-CHAN!" Umino shouted, spinning around to face her. "But you were just—" The young man stopped, staring at her hair for a good few minutes. Then he turned back to look inside his open room.

"This makes _no_ sense," the genius said slowly. "Usagi-chan, you don't have an older sister or cousin that looks just like the old you, do you?"

"No," the blonde answered. "But we gave Naru-chan's friend Carol your room last night."

"That would explain it," he replied. "She's still in there. I thought at first it was you, but then I remembered that you'd cut your hair. You still haven't given me a reason for that, you know," the nerd added.

"And _you_ haven't given me a reason for you being out in the foyer in your boxers," Usagi countered immediately. "Got one yet?"

"What is—?" a tired voice demanded angrily, abruptly cutting itself off.

Usagi and Umino turned toward the boy's bed where the voice was coming from. There Carol sat, blinking tiredly, not-quite-staring at the scantily-dressed brunette.

"Who're you?" she yawned, climbing out of the bed and coming out of the room.

"Umino Gurio," he said stiffly. "And that's my room."

"It's about twenty out there," she answered, rubbing at the sleep in her eyes. "Why are you only wearing boxers?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" he cried out, frustrated.

"It's a reasonable question," Usagi retorted. "Now _answer_."

"I got home, and no one seemed to be around," Umino sighed. "I was tired when I went into my room, and started changing into clean clothes without turning on the light or looking anywhere but the floor. Then I heard something, like a body turning over and someone saying something. I looked up and saw you in my bed." He glared at Carol. "I thought you were Usagi-chan, and couldn't figure out why she'd be in my bed. Then I tripped over some books, and came out here."

"You were cursing when I left my room," the younger blonde reminded him.

"Well, I'm out of your room now," Carol grumbled. "So go get _actual_ clothes on. Naru'll either kill or break up with you otherwise."

"NANI?" the nerd demanded, his eyes widening in shock. "Why?"

"It looks like you just got back, and were with someone," Carol sighed. "You're a nerd; use your head, boy. Name another good reason why you'd be out here in your underwear."

Blushing, the man hurried into his room and quickly shut the door.

"My clothes from yesterday are still in your room, right?" Carol yawned. At Usagi's nod, she added, "Since I can't go back to bed this time, mind if I get dressed too?"

* * *

Hotaru sighed, glancing at a clock. She really couldn't delay leaving much longer. As unaware of her as her foster parents now were, they still noticed when she got home after six-thirty. Unfortunately, they knew detention or "help" didn't last _that_ long, even with the long trip home. 

"Wonder what they'd say if I said I was visiting Setsuna-mama?" she wondered as she waved good-bye to her homeroom and English teacher, Ms. Haruna.

_They'd kill me,_ the sane part of her brain answered. _They know Setsuna-mama can send me back moments after I left. And they'd know for sure I was lying. I guess I've been at the Crown and lost track of time again._

"Tomoe-san," a kind voice spoke just behind her.

"Hai?" the raven-haired girl asked, spinning around to see Ms. Haruna.

"Would you like a ride home? It's getting late and you know quickly night falls. I wouldn't want one of my best pupils to get lost or hurt on the way home."

"Thank you," Hotaru murmured. "I'd appreciate that." She didn't mention that she'd spent just as many hours—if not more—out in the middle of the night recently as she had during daylight.

As the quiet girl directed her through the city, Ms. Haruna asked her pupil seemingly innocent questions. Hotaru answered honestly and offhandedly, not putting overmuch thought into the answers.

"Um, you can stop here," she said suddenly.

"What?" the brunette teacher asked. "But didn't you say your house is at the end of the street?"

"Hai," Hotaru muttered, her face and neck turning crimson. "But it might not go over well…and I'd have to face another inquisition."

Hearing this, her teacher _knew_ that things were wrong at home. She'd been Hotaru's teacher for two years now, and only recently had the girl been showing signs of trouble.

"All right," she sighed. "But I'm not leaving until you've gotten safely in your house."

"Why?" Hotaru asked, her surprise obvious.

"If something happens and I have to go to court," the brunette joked, "I want there to be proof that I didn't kidnap you or something. I want to pass a lie-detector test."

With a groan and polite thanks, the Senshi of Ruin climbed out of the car and hurried down the street, pausing momentarily upon her doorstep, wondering if she truly wanted to face the disaster her family had become.

But if she didn't… Haruna-sensei was watching from just down the street. That woman could be caring to the point of prying sometimes.

Steeling herself for the worst, Hotaru turned the knob and entered the place she called 'home.'

* * *

Sailor Pluto stared out at the swirling mists of the place she was most comfortable, the place she could almost call 'home.' The Gates of Time. 

True, she was occasionally lonely or bored, but this was where she belonged. Where else could she find peace? Was there another place in the universe that so few traipsed that its guardian was almost forgotten in legends?

No, there was nowhere else. This was the one place she belonged. The only other place… was now long gone. There was no point thinking about the past, even if she could go to the time when it had been the present or future. She had lived it, which, to her mind, made it the past.

Grumbling to herself, she almost wished an intruder would appear. Then she would have something to _do_.

Shifting her grip on the Garnet Rod, the Senshi of Time cast her mind back through her memories, letting them wash over her like waves. Perhaps this would ease her tension and worry over her foster daughter. Hotaru had had bruises the last time she had come to the Time Gates. Hopefully, the girl had just gotten in a fight with schoolmates or some such thing.

Her gut told her otherwise.

* * *

"Do you think something happened?" 

"Koshii, nothing's wrong," Kenji sighed, pulling his wife into a reassuring embrace. "Usa's probably just forgotten about the time difference. You know how she gets with things like that. After all, it morning over there. Thirteen hour difference, remember? She might not even be up yet. So calm down. She _will_ call, hopefully before midnight. If she doesn't, you can call her in the morning—get her up in the middle of the night—, scold her and find out what's wrong."

"I'm sure you're right," Ikuko sighed, relaxing into her husband's loving embrace. Then a thought occurred to her. "It's Christmas, right? A day of giving and love and presents?"

"Hai," the reporter agreed, looking down at his wife's pleading face. "All right," he laughed. "I can do that. Shingo," he called, leading his wife toward the stairs. "You're on your own for a bit. Get us _only_ if Usa calls."

"Yuck," Shingo muttered, quickly turning back to his game as a blush covered him from the neck up. "I don't _want_ any more sisters…"

* * *

**AN:** Yep, that's it, I'm afraid. I have a lack of info on the anime and my internet hates me, so I can't go into too much detail with actual Senshi things. If you have info I can use, GIMMIE! And if you put a website in a review, can you also put your email so I can contact you? Websites don't always show up in reviews. What do you people think? Good, bad, or both? What's your favorite part? 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Let's see… I own my clothes, my poems, the plot, the demons, and Carol. Nothing else.

CHAPTER EIGHT

_Maybe I'm over-analyzing everything, like Ami-chan does sometimes. But that would be a first for me. I mean, I've always taken everything at face value, unless my gut said otherwise._

_I'd love to take this at face value, say it's wonderful and just ignore the darker side. But my gut won't let me do that. I have to face what I'd rather turn a blind eye to._

_My gut tells me that I've died before._

_But how could I have died before? It doesn't make sense, and yet…_

_I love him._

_I told him I would love him even after the stars stopped spinning._

_I told Mother that, and she forbade me to see him again. She said that all Terran men were rapist bastards and I could not afford to go near them for sake of my virginity, if I did not care about the punishment the gods would give out._

_She acted so odd then… Did something happen to _her_ on Terra? I'd like to say that that's simply impossible, but maybe she was like me when she was younger? Impulsive and curious?_

_But I couldn't obey her this time. I went back to Terra again and again, always returning in time._

_But one time it was too late. My disobedience was discovered because I returned to the Moon with Endy just as the bitch began to launch her attack. For all I know, our two groups landed upon my home soil at the same time._

_All I know is that Endy was fighting for his life and mine just seconds later._

_And then we died._

_I couldn't live without him. So I took his sword and used it on myself._

_This sounds so much like a fairytale, and yet I know it as truth. I see the memories pass before my eyes; I _know_ they are the truth. So I guess my life has just gotten stranger._

_Welcome to the life of Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity of the Moon._

Usagi giggled as she re-read the fading entry. It had taken so much out of her to write that, but it was funny to see how melodramatic and accepting she could be at the same time.

_Remember this?_ she called silently to the Moon Princess.

_Oh, yes,_ Serenity recalled. _Wasn't that the week when you wouldn't talk to anyone?_

_And my hair practically exploded out of my head,_ Usagi added.

The two purposely refused to mention the reason behind the 'hair explosion' or the lack of social skills, knowing it to be an extremely painful topic. They continued to silently chat about other things until the phone interrupted their conversation.

* * *

Michiru was in the kitchen, staring at the refrigerator and contemplating delving into the stock of alcoholic beverages she knew lay inside. On the one hand, Haruka was always claiming that it helped you forget things you wanted to forget; on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she trusted her former lover anymore. 

Ever since Usagi had disappeared, everything had gone downhill. First, the Wind Senshi decided she could drown her sorrow in alcohol. When that did not work, she refused to let go of her sorrow. Michiru's empathy for her lover could only go so far: they soon stopped sleeping together and, shortly after, began quarreling. These minor quarrels had grown to become out-and-out fights, although there had yet to be any physical punches.

A cold war had started within her own household.

It was somewhere between the minor quarreling and the true fighting that Hotaru had managed to make herself invisible and her presence unnoticed or gone except for items such as the mandatory "family dinner." Even if the world were falling apart around and inside them, this family would pretend nothing was wrong and everything was lovely for the half-hour to hour it took to eat the meal and make polite, if strained, conversation.

Unfortunately, this did nothing to bring the family together. If anything, it helped drive them apart. Haruka was almost constantly simmering with pent-up rage during the meal and was destroying her liver with all the alcohol she kept downing and Hotaru was meek and silent, so easily overlooked and always left the table as often as possible.

"Kuso," the Senshi of the Water sighed and pulled out a glass before heading towards the forgetful potion.

* * *

"Yes, Osaka-san," Usagi laughed. "I'm keeping them in line… Uh-huh, yeah, I can do that for you. So how's Ruruna doing? Not skipping class any more, is she? … Wow, that's amazing! What? Oh, sure, I'll get him. Umino-kun!" she called, putting the receiver against her chest to muffle the sound. "Come to the phone!" 

"But I already talked to my parents," the young man mumbled as he stumbled out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, shoving on his glasses.

"It's Naru-chan's mother," the blonde answered with a wicked grin, holding the receiver out to him. "Get over here."

Turning pale, the boy genius obeyed and took the proffered phone and put it to his ear. "Moshi moshi?"

Giggling, the two girls snuck back into their shared room, leaving the boy on his own to get through another third-degree inquisition.

* * *

Carol glared at the pile of unpaid bills lying on the kitchen counter, where they had been for the past three days. 

"Damnit," she sighed, plopping herself down in a kitchen chair and rubbing her temples. "At least I don't have a car and have to pay for gas." Knowing she would have to pay the bills, atop her rent, was going to put a limit on other things for a while, such as food.

"What's wrong?" a male voice asked, entering the kitchen from the second bedroom.

"I _hate_ bills," Carol grumbled, gesturing to the envelopes on the counter. "They're due in a few days and then my rent atop of that."

"Why are they a problem?" the male asked.

"Because it means I have to give people money," the blonde sighed. "I'd rather not, but then I would lose some wonderful things like my heat, gas, water, electricity, and this apartment. By the way, why are you here, Helios?"

"You haven't contacted me since you left," the boy protested.

"Which was _last night_," Carol reminded him with a sigh. "Really, you worry about me too much."

"Better that I worry than no one does," the Guardian of Eylison snapped. "You need friends so you don't blow things up."

Carol burst out laughing as he finished. "Oh, gods," she gasped as tears streamed out of her eyes and she clutched her ribs. "I'd forgotten about that. Oh, _damn_, I used to be so _stupid_." Still cackling, she fell out of the wooden chair and onto the floor.

"I was serious," he muttered. Glancing around the barren kitchen, the ancient man with the body of a teenager began wondering if his friend had any food in the place. There was no toaster or any appliances other than a sink, an oven, a small refrigerator with freezer, and a microwave. Quickly discovering that he was hungry, he asked without thinking, "Is there any food I can eat?"

Having calmed down from her laughing fit, Carol sat on the linoleum and wiped her eyes, as she said, "Scrounge around. Have anything you find, provided it's not ravioli or in a restaurant doggy bag. Those are _mine_, got it?"

Nodding his acceptance, Helios began searching through the cabinets and the fridge for something to eat.

Ten minutes later, he was shoving the last of his sandwich in his mouth and closely watching his friend. Although she was not in the full-blown depression in which she blew up everything that was large or would make sparks, she still wasn't exactly perky or happy. "What's wrong?" he asked, swallowing his last mouthful of sandwich.

"Nothing, really," Carol sighed, turning to look at him from the floor where she was leaning against the chair she had recently occupied. "Combination of things, I guess. It's Christmas, and I don't have a family that I love, except Serenity, who is now Usagi, who doesn't have a clue who I am. My bills are getting more expensive and I'm getting scared that I'll be living off the street again or lose my job, which would really be the same thing, in the end. I like buying presents for friends, but you're my only one and you've told me that if I ever buy you anything but food, you'll quite happily tear it into itty-bitty pieces."

Helios just grinned at her for the last bit. "Wanna come to Eylison with me for a little bit?" he asked.

"I'd love to," came the answer. "But I can't. Bills to pay, remember? And I have work tomorrow and school starts back up next week."

"So? Bills aren't due today; otherwise you'd be impossible to deal with right now. Work is _tomorrow_, not today, and you don't have school for another week. Come visit," he pleaded. "It'll help you."

"All right," she groaned as he helped pull her off the floor. "I'll come. But if any demons come near Usagi or her family, I'm gone, understand?"

"Of course," he laughed, grabbing her hand. "Now let's go, okay?"

With a flash of light, the two friends disappeared.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Setsuna-mama," a soft voice called through the mists. 

"Come where I can see you, Hotaru," Sailor Pluto answered from her post at the doors. "How have you been doing?" she asked as her daughter floated into view.

The Senshi of Death shrugged, not looking at her mother. "I'm okay, I guess. I'm doing well in school and people don't bully me as much as they used to. I still miss ChibiUsa, though."

Sailor Pluto frowned slightly, noting the obvious exclusion of Haruka and Michiru from the answer. "Did you get anything special for Christmas?" she asked, erasing her frown.

Hotaru flinched. "No, nothing," she whispered, staring at her feet. "But I got you something," she added, looking up and seeming happy.

"What is it?" the Senshi of Time asked, slightly wary.

"This," her daughter proclaimed, holding out a large box.

"Where were you hiding this?" Pluto couldn't help but ask as she took the present.

"Next to my Glaive," the girl answered impishly, "in my subspace pocket."

Her mother just shook her head and sat down in front of the Gates to undo the wrapping. "Hotaru!" she gasped once she got the lid off the box. "This is amazing! Thank you _so_ much!"

Lying inside the box were two large bolts of cloth, one maroon and the other deep, dark green. Atop the cloth were two packets of needles, matching spools of thread, and a pair of scissors.

"Now you have something to do out here," Hotaru whispered shyly. "I can bring some patterns next time, if you want."

"I would _love_ that," Sailor Pluto answered with a huge grin on her face. "You _do_ realize that these will most likely be in my subspace pocket most of the time, don't you?"

"I know," her daughter answered. "But at least you'll have them out _some_ of the time."

"I'm sorry I don't have a return gift," Pluto said, feeling ashamed.

"That's okay," Hotaru answered cheerfully. "You can repay me by letting me come here whenever I want—"

"Which I already do," the Senshi of Time interrupted.

Hotaru continued, ignoring the interruption. "—And come back to Japan and spend the whole day with me on my birthday, okay?"

"I think I can handle that," her mother laughed.

"Good," her daughter answered, impulsively wrapping her foster-mother in a bone-crushing grip. "I'll miss you," she mumbled, "but I have to get back now. Can you send me back on the same night, about one in the morning?"

"Of course," Pluto answered, confused. "But why then?"

"Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama will be sleeping," Hotaru replied instantly.

"All right," the Guardian of the Gates of Time sighed as the Gates creaked open. "Go on through."

With another quick hug, the Senshi of Death stepped through the Gates of Time and vanished.

**

* * *

AN:** Yep, that's it. I was going to add another phone call, but decided that could wait. Oh, Ruruna is an actual character in the manga, though she only appeared once in one of ChibiUsa's Picture Diaries.She is Naru's younger sister and ChibiUsa's friend.Believe it or not, the first scene was sitting on the document, gathering dust, for most of these seven/eight months I haven't updated. Then writer's block set in and… yeah. Well, what do you think? 


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:** I own Carol, her father, and the demons. Nothing else.

**AN:** This chapter is dedicated to **small876** for sending a PM a couple weeks ago which praised this story and requested an update, which Carol and Usagi promptly translated to "Get off your lazy ass and write, Yami! People are waiting for the next chapter!" Thank you, **small876**, for bringing Usa out of hiding so I could write.

**CHAPTER NINE**

_I used to make up stories when I was little. Stories about princes with dark hair and princesses who saved the day. I think I had the girls saving everyone because all the policemen or firefighters I ever saw were male. I wanted something different. My "invisible friend" played with me too. I called her "Princess Moons" because of the way she wore her hair. One time Kaa-san asked me why I called her that and that led to my current "Odango-Atama" hairstyle. If I've told Rei once, I've told her a hundred times: DON'T CALL ME THAT!! IT'S MEAN!!_

_I've spent most of the day babysitting Shingo. Ick. I guess I'm glad Okaa-san and Otou-san think I'm grownup enough to be able to watch him, but I kinda wish they didn't. He's discovered the foreign film section at the video store and is renting all the Walt Disney DVDs he can. "Snow White" was nice the first time, but not so much the tenth. __WHY __won't he pick another movie?!_

_Now back to this diary so he won't be nosy__…__ In some of the stories, Princess Moons and I would pretend to be sisters who saved the day, usually from some evil overlord who was based off some bratty kid from the neighborhood or preschool. We did this every day for__…__ a long time. I can't say in terms of months or years because you don't really keep track of those kinds of things when you're a little kid. I didn't, anyway. Ami might have._

_I think I stopped playing with Princess Moons and focused on the "real world" about halfway through preschool. That was when I met Naru. Some of the boys were picking on me for my "moon hair" and she chased them away and told me she liked my hair. She's been taking care of me since then. If she isn't sharing her lunch, she's at least trying to help me with my homework or keeping me from spending every last yen at the arcade. She's been looking after me for almost ten years._

_Naru's my best friend._

Usagi smiled as she read over the old entry. She had been fourteen and it was before the Senshi had found the Silver Crystal, but just after Makoto had joined their group. "I can't believe she took me back so fast," she whispered to herself. Naru truly was amazing: after being ignored for nearly five full years, she was still willing to take back a childhood friend.

"What was that, Usagi-chan?" The blonde jumped; she'd forgotten Naru was still in their bedroom, working on her biology homework while Usagi had been flipping back through her diary.

"I can't believe you took me back so fast," Usagi repeated, turning to look at her friend and grinning at the sight of her buried under textbooks. "I ignored you for five years and you still took care of me when I was smart enough to ask for help."

"Of course I did," Naru replied, puzzled. "You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. You just got a bit sidetracked for a while and stuck me in the back of your mind. It wasn't like you'd decided we weren't gonna be friends anymore when Mizuno-san and the others showed up at Juuban."

"I'm still grateful," Usagi answered.

Naru, seeing how close her friend was to slipping into melancholy, reached over and gave her a tight hug. "You'd do the same for me and you know it," she said, trying not to wince and the textbooks shifted and wrapped around or dug into her lower half. "Best friends forever, remember? Even best friends need some time apart. We've had our time apart and now we're back together."

"Okay," the blonde agreed, glad she could understand Naru's selflessness a bit better now. She had once been as selfless, according to her friends… But those days were over. Friends were very important, but now she looked out for herself too. Just now, Naru was the only one she'd really risk absolutely everything for, the way she once would have for the Senshi.

Then she noticed Naru was still holding and leaning on her. "Are you gonna get off?" she asked.

"No," Naru giggled. "I'm stuck. My homework trapped me."

Usagi twisted to see that her friend's legs were trapped as she claimed and then joined in the giggles.

--

Carol sighed and sat up. She'd been daydreaming in the gardens of Elysion since the sun was low in the sky and now it was getting low toward the other side of the sky.

"Helios, I'm gonna go now," she called, feeling the angry eyes of the Shrine Maidens burning into her back though the two were nowhere in sight. _They really don't like me,_ she thought in amusement. _Then again, I'm half-demon and they love purity and sweetness and everything demons try to destroy. Guess I can't blame them. But it sure makes my visits suck._ "I've been here almost a full twenty-four hours and I think I've spent enough time away from reality."

"Are you sure, Carol?" the priest asked, leaving the shrine and hurrying over to his friend. "I mean, you've been pretty unstable lately and if this is helping, then—" She stopped him with two fingers against his lips.

"I'm as fine as I can get," the woman reassured him. "Part of the instability was my use of Moon magic. You ought to know by _now_ that if I use one magic it makes my other inheritance act up." She gave her best friend a bitter smile. "I should've been born without magic instead of two that exist to try to destroy the other."

He sighed as she took her hand away, still worried. "It'll be dark when you get back and you'll probably be in a back alley. The moon's almost full so you'll have light, Moonlight Guardian."

Carol made a face. "Just because I'm protective of my sister, you don't have to call me names."

"But I thought you liked this one," Helios said, mock-surprised. "You didn't object last time." Carol growled and swiped at him, knowing her hand wouldn't connect. Sure enough, the young man stepped just out of range, playing a game they'd begun centuries before. "Can't catch me, blondie," he laughed, turning and running back up the path he'd just come down. "Blondie" quickly pursued, knowing he would either let her catch him or simply pull her from Elysion back onto Earth, signaling a pause in the game.

After a few seconds and Helios arriving at "base"—the bottom step of the shrine—, the world tilted and spun in Carol's vision, making her woozy. She stopped running and stood still, hoping it would help her vision. When she could see again, she was staring at the dreary brick walls of a back alley.

"That's cheating, you stupid Pegasus," she muttered before turning and heading out of the alley to find landmarks and then her way home.

The Moon shone bright in the sky above.

--

Minako frowned, lost in thought as she traversed the busy sidewalks. Something felt wrong, something that went beyond the simple loss of the Princess and Senshi leader. Was another enemy going to appear soon? She hoped not; Chaos had nearly broken everyone's spirits and that was _with_ Usagi around to make them all feel better. Not only was it impossible for her to imagine an enemy worse than Chaos, it was impossible to believe the Senshi, who had done little more than nod in passing with each other for months, would be able to work together without getting in one another's way and creating worse rifts than already existed.

_I'm supposed to be the _leader_, aren't I?_ Minako thought to herself. _Sure, there hasn't been even a hint of a youma for months, but that doesn't mean we can let ourselves get so out of practice. It just means we'll be slaughtered when the next danger _does_ come._ Maybe one would never come, maybe the rest of her life would be peaceful, if lonely. But maybe there would come another enemy. What would they do _then_? The others could call her paranoid if they liked, but being ready and looking over her shoulder would save at least her own skin.

In the middle of the sidewalk, the blonde suddenly stopped dead, earning grumbles from those who nearly hit her and other passersby. Deaf to the physical world, the leader of the Inner Senshi coldly analyzed the situation and balance between the physical and metaphysical worlds. There was a horrible, gaping wound in the barrier between the two and _something_ was pouring through. Not being a "true psychic"—she had just a drop of Other Sight—, the warrior was unable to See where these threats were landing in this world, but she knew where to get the answers.

Her decision to hunt down Rei and Ami was changed for her the millisecond the first, piercing scream of terror rang out.

--

Ami's head jerked up from her notebook, adrenaline pumping for no good reason. Without a second thought, she reached into the sub-space pocket where she kept her Mercury computer. As she flipped it open and set it to global scanning mode, she realized she had been half-expecting something like this to happen for months on a subconscious level. Sadly, she had not thought to keep up her former physical strength as a Senshi.

_I'll just have to keep from getting hit,_ she swore to herself as her computer signaled that it had found a rip in the fabric of the world.

"Kuso, that's too close," she muttered to herself as she tore out of her room and nearly out of the apartment, shoving the tiny bit of otherworldly technology into her jeans pocket so she could stuff her feet into shoes. "Kaa-san, I'm going out!"

"Just a moment, Ami," an older woman demanded as her daughter tried to swallow a groan and her impatience to be out fighting. She couldn't just _sit at home_, getting a lecture, while there were innocent people being hurt, possibly dying. The stakes just got higher and higher with each new enemy and subsequent victim. "We need to have a talk about these odd hours of yours."

"Kaasan, can we do this later?" Ami begged, urgency rising within her as Sailor Mercury began to awaken, demanding the blissful release of combat. "There's something _really_ important that I need to do _now_. I'm going to be too late if I stay here."

Her mother apparently couldn't hear the desperation in Ami's voice because she continued, implacable as ever. "We _do_ have a whiteboard and calendar for daily schedules, remember, Ami?" The woman pointed to the whiteboard with its black marker that was accusatory in its blankness.

_The one time I wish my mother had a meeting,_ Ami thought resentfully as she answered. "It's a last minute thing," she said honestly. "I only found out today—" it was getting dark out, the skyscrapers blocking the sun. Did that still technically count as "day"? "—and I forgot to write it on the board." _Sure, I'm going to write "Senshi battles: finish time unknown" on the board. I can just see the padded white room now._ "So may I go?"

The doctor frowned, but apparently her daughter's distress had become obvious. "This gathering is that important to you?"

"Hai, Kaasan, it is." _I couldn't stress _how_ important if I had to. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I missed this and we lost everything we've worked for._

"All right," her mother sighed. "Remember to write it down next time," she warned. "I want to know where you are. Don't stay out too late."

"I won't," she promised, her voice drowning in gratitude. As she shoved on her shoes, an impulse seized her. Praying the few seconds wouldn't make too much of a difference, she raced over to her mother and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Okaasan. I love you so much."

Before her mother had a chance to respond or her mind to even accept this unfamiliar behavior, Ami was gone, racing down the hall and stairs for a back alley to find precious release.

--

Rei was sitting in a booth at the Crown, waiting for Mamoru, considering her speech very carefully. _I can't just say "I'm breaking up with you" because he'll want a reason and he's one that will _never_ believe me if I say "The Sacred Fire got mad at me." He'd think it's an excuse. So how am I going to go about this? If I sit through another date with him, he'll probably charm his way into us staying a couple. But I can't just dump him the second he walks in. I'd feel too guilty and he'd _still_ want a reason._

A moment later, her planning was put off indefinitely by her communicator and sixth sense going off simultaneously.

"Rei here," she said automatically into the small device as she began to search for this new problem.

"One group middle of city, second in the subway, third in Juuban Park," the blonde said, all in one breath. Rei was shocked to see a thin trail of blood down the Senshi's cheek and the ice of her eyes. "All want blood. Which do you want?"

"Subway," she replied instantly, already moving out of the booth and towards the back room Motoki had set aside for the Senshi's quick exits years ago. "Everything's either fire-proof or extremely flammable. I'll be careful. Anyone else coming?"

"Mercury's on her way to the first group. Her computer can isolate the enemy and keep track of individual ones, she said," the Senshi answered after a moment of what Rei could only assume was fighting. "Mako's not answering her communicator and neither are the Outers."

Rei swore upon finding the door locked and Motoki nowhere in sight. "I'll get there as soon as I can," she promised, turning around to race out of the store and down the street to find a safe place if she had to. "See you when this is all over." Then she shoved the small device back in her pocket and swore again, seeing Mamoru heading her way and not looking happy.

"Were you trying to stand me up?" he demanded. "I thought—"

"No, baka, we have a problem," Rei interrupted. "I need to get to the subway and I need to be there _now_."

"Why?" Mamoru demanded belligerently. "If you wanted to cancel, you should have _told_ me."

"This isn't about us!" the miko screeched. "It's about youma!"

The man just blinked, completely sideswiped. "Nani?"

"Your bond was entirely to _her_, wasn't it?" Rei realized. "Before there was Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen just wandered around unless he found something, didn't he? You only came to the fights because _she_ was there and in danger. You have no idea what's going on."

"I won't unless you tell me," he snapped, annoyed that his 'girlfriend' had to speak so cryptically _and_ bring up something she had decreed to leave dead.

"Youmas are attacking, jackass," she retorted, voice dripping acid. "_Something_ is attacking _every human it can find_ and _you_ are in my way. Find another girlfriend. I don't think even the ever-forgiving Usagi would date the person you've become." Then Rei quickly sidestepped her ex and raced out of sight, Sailor Mars heading for the subway.

Mamoru just stared ahead in shock. Had a few stupid words and an over-inflated sense of pride really created such a change in his personality?

_Usako, please come back to me._

--

Makoto sat in her apartment, turning the glowing pen over and over in her hands, oblivious to everything around her for several hours running. Food was not important, neither was sleep. What she needed was the _why_ her henshin pen was glowing with a pulsating green light. She had noticed than whenever she thought about being Sailor Jupiter, the aura of light grew brighter, as though the pen approved of her thought patterns. When she thought about _rejecting_ being a Senshi, the light dulled until it was practically gone. She would quickly go back to thinking other things about being a Senshi; she knew she couldn't afford for the light to die.

She only knew the communicator had gone off when the brightness grew nigh unbearable; her winter clothes had been replaced by a familiar, if cold, outfit; and she could hear her leader shouting for her.

It only took moments for Sailor Jupiter to go back to her duty.

--

**AN:** And there lies the end! Sorry I took so long, Carol sorta took all the Senshi off to some sort of secret slumber party for the last year and a half. Glares at Carol No fight scene because I suck at those, though I can _almost_ guarantee there will be one next chapter.

**Minor preview:** The brooch lay where she'd thrown it, all those months ago, a glowing and silent reproach.** Guess who?**


End file.
